Gathering for a photo during their Loyola University campus tour are: Standing, from left: Daja’h Saul, Mary Parker Whisnant, Abby Perez, Emma Hoth, and Victoria Bordelon. Seated: Grace Beard, Hallie Cao, Eryka Vazquez, Josephine Toso, Emily Adams, and Gracee Reeves.

A recent campus tour of Loyola University New Orleans included a visit to two psychology labs where our students met Kate Autin Yurgil, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences and a 2001 Dominican graduate.  Dr. Yurgil discussed with the students her work and participation in a research study. Dr. Yurgil does multi-disciplinary research that integrates measures of human behavior, cognition, and neurophysiology. She has papers published on neural activity associated with auditory speech perception, working memory capacity, and selective attention, with a current focus on age-related changes in cognitive function. Her interests in the area of behavioral health include examining risk and resiliency factors for post-traumatic stress disorder, and the effects of traumatic brain injury on mental health and neuropsychological function. Dr. Yurgil presents her work at annual meetings for Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Society for Neuroscience, and International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Dr. Yurgil with Dominican student Josephine Toso who wears an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap that contains electrodes to measure the brain’s electrical activity. Observing are fellow students Emma Hoth and Mary Parker Whisnant. Photo by Hallie Cao ’21.

She holds a B.A. in psychology from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO and M.S. in psychological science from Tulane University. In 2010 she completed her Ph.D. from Tulane, with an emphasis in cognitive neuroscience. Her doctoral research focused on using electroencephalography (EEG) to examine individual and age differences in attention and memory processes. Most recently, Dr. Yurgil completed postdoctoral research training in applied behavioral health at the VA Healthcare System in San Diego, CA, where she examined the effects of combat deployment on mental health outcomes in active-duty military personnel. She is a recipient of Loyola’s College of Arts & Sciences 2018 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Loyola University student Adelia Obioha (’16), center, with Dominican juniors Eryka Vazquez (left) and Emily Adams during their campus tour. Photo by Hallie Cao ’21.